


The Time For Giving (The Best Part of Living)

by Deveroux



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Married Sheith, Mistletoe, Post-canon but ignores the epilogue, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deveroux/pseuds/Deveroux
Summary: When Keith agreed to a snowy Christmas vacation with his husband, he hadn't expected that he and Shiro would be arriving at their destination separately.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	The Time For Giving (The Best Part of Living)

**Author's Note:**

> I admit to kind of rushing this one, but I wanted to do a little Sheith story for Christmas. It's mostly just fluff, really.
> 
> Some of the things within the story - and the title itself - were inspired by Michael Bublé's "[The More You Give (The More You'll Have)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1njMd3qjq0)."

There was something about walking along the trail on the outskirts of a snowy forest, his boots digging into the powdery snow with what Keith could only assume was a satisfying crunch. He wasn’t entirely sure  _ what _ it was, but it was something. Perhaps it was a quiet calm, everything around him seemingly muffled by a blanket of white; it was so different from what he’d grown used to, between the fires of war and the chatter of diplomacy, and there was a time he wasn’t sure he’d ever find himself ensconced in something he’d always appreciated. He liked the chance to be alone, to let all of the bustle fall away. Still, he thought as the wind blew past and he found himself readjusting his coat to stay warm against the icy chill, as much as he enjoyed the quiet and surrounding himself in nature, he couldn’t quite fathom why anyone would  _ choose _ to stay somewhere so cold for any significant amount of time. It was so much different than the chill of desert nights, biting and all-encompassing with no chance to escape it except by huddling indoors.

He shook his head, raising his hands to his mouth and blowing the heated air of his breath onto them to revive some of the feeling into his fingertips before pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the translucent screen. He frowned at the display, noting the time and the lack of messages; he should have heard something by now, Keith was sure, but there’d been nothing at all. He shoved the device back into the pocket of his coat before continuing down the trail, heading toward the nearby town.

He was greeted there with a sight straight out of the movies he’d seen as a child, movies that had made him feel increasingly like an outsider at the time, left alone and separated from anyone who would ever celebrate in such warm, jovial traditions with him. It was different to see it now, he thought, watching a small family pull perfectly wrapped presents and covered tupperware containing what he could only assume were baked treats from their car, carrying them up the driveway and to the door. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could see the disaster from a couple years earlier, when Coran had tried to carry a stack of presents, impressive in both number and size, in all at once, only for the entire pile to collapse on him. There’d been a great many laughs as everyone had worked to dig him out from under the present pile.

He turned his attention elsewhere, to a group of carolers standing in a gazebo as they sang their songs for a small crowd and to where he could see twinkling lights strung around trees, lining roofs and windows of houses all along the street. In one yard, a handful of children formed snowballs to lob at each other, laughing joyously as they dashed through the snow and tried to dodge out of their friends’ attacks. Every now and then, one or another would pause, standing up straight with wide eyes as someone would pass by with bells jingling on the end of a hat, on their shirt, and a bangle worn around their wrist. They would look around wildly, calling out to the other children, excitedly exclaiming, “I heard them! I heard the sleigh bells!” Their game would stop then and they would all look to the sky, searching as best they could.

Keith shook his head at the sight, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched on with his hands in his pockets, remembering nights just like this, when he’d been small and he’d strain to hear the sound of bells from the sky, when he’d tug on his father’s shirt and insist he’d  _ heard _ them, that Santa must be near. Something about that warmed him.

He continued down the street, just taking in the sights even as the people around him hurried indoors, ready to start their celebrations, inviting their family and friends into their homes with laughter, with jubilant greetings, with warm hugs. The thought of it all stayed with him even as he made his way back up the path near the forest, to the cabin they’d rented. He paused as he got closer, turning on the spot to look around when he heard the unmistakable sound of bells. He blinked a few times, indigo eyes narrowing as he tried to determine where the sound was coming from, suddenly wary that he’d been followed, but there was no one there. “Just my imagination,” he mumbled to himself, shaking his head and turning back toward the cabin. But he heard it again when he got closer, and he paused once more, the thought of the children’s excited chatter about Santa coming back to him. He held his hands out in front of him, looking at them almost helplessly for a brief moment before his eyes caught on his ring. A small smile twitched at the corner of his lips as he thought about it; if there really was a Santa, if he really was on his way, then the only thing Keith wanted him to bring was…

With a soft snort to dismiss the thought, Keith started walking again, trudging through the snow with a renewed determination. Something lit within him when he finally caught sight of it, the cabin larger than any he might have considered himself able to rent within his lifetime, decorated with pine garlands and red ribbons to accent the trim of the covered wrap around porch, and with lights strung to along the edge of the roof, the windows, and along the porch’s banisters. Right off a Christmas card, Shiro had joked as they booked it. Keith smiled at the memory; it was a nice thought, even if he hadn’t expected he’d be arriving separately for their vacation.

He pushed the door open with perhaps too much force, too focused on getting inside and getting  _ warm _ to notice the sound of surprise before strong arms wrapped around him. Instinct sang through him and Keith started to struggle before he heard a warm, deep voice in his ear murmuring, “Merry Christmas, baby.” That took the breath out of him and Keith melted into the embrace, burying his face against Shiro’s neck with a smile.

“You’re here.” He nuzzled against Shiro’s skin, humming at how  _ warm _ he was and chuckling softly at Shiro’s protest that his nose was  _ freezing _ , smiling contentedly even as he heard the door shut behind him. He refused to move, perfectly happy to stay right there for a little while longer. But, finally, he pulled back, swatting at Shiro’s chest half-heartedly. “You’re late.” He says the words with no real heat behind them, a soft gravel to his voice

“I’m late,” Shiro agreed easily, shaking his head with a laugh as he stepped back to help Keith out of his coat, hanging it for him before pulling him into another warm hug. He didn’t try to offer up any explanation, but he didn’t need one, either. Instead, he simply pulled back slightly, his gaze sliding upward. Keith frowned at that, about to ask why he was pulling away before following his gaze, tilting his head back to see a sprig of mistletoe above them. He was positive it hadn’t been there when he’d arrived at the cabin earlier, nor was it there when he’d left earlier on his little trek. Still, his lips parted slightly as he shuffled a little closer to Shiro, ducking his head down. “Hey, none of that,” Shiro whispered, bringing one hand to Keith’s chin to tilt his head up as he leaned in. “Wouldn’t want to ignore tradition, after all.” The words were murmured against Keith’s lips, and it took everything Keith had not to laugh.

“No, we certainly wouldn’t want to do that,” Keith responded with no small amount of humor and perhaps some sarcasm, slowly bringing his arms up around Shiro’s shoulders and stretching up against him, closing the infinitesimal distance between them for a kiss. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when Shiro chased that one with a second and then a third, each deeper than the last. When they broke apart again, Keith found it in him to tease, “You’re such a sneak, Admiral Shirogane.”

“It’s not my fault they put it there when they decorated this place for us.”

Keith hummed in response, but he raised an eyebrow and glanced up at the mistletoe again. “No, you’re right, it wouldn’t be your fault in that case.  _ If _ they had been the ones to put it up, at least.”

Shiro feigned offense at that. “You’re not calling me a  _ liar _ now, are you, baby?” Keith laughed as Shiro leaned in for another kiss, letting himself be drawn into it and parting his lips to acquiesce as Shiro lazily explored his mouth. There was very little Shiro could possibly do that Keith would begrudge him for, after all, and he would gratefully accept any and all kisses Shiro chose to bestow upon him. But, when they broke apart, Keith took the opportunity to take the wind out of Shiro’s sails.

“I think you’re forgetting who got here first.” Shiro opened his mouth to respond, but Keith could tell he knew already he’d been caught when he simply closed his mouth without a sound and slowly nodded once. “You didn’t need mistletoe to get me to kiss you, Shiro.” He hummed when Shiro’s arms wrapped around him again, tighter this time, and he let himself fall into that embrace. It was the perfect way to warm up on such a cold December night, as far as Keith was concerned.

“Maybe I just wanted to keep it on theme.” Keith didn’t argue that, especially as Shiro began to corral him toward the fireplace - Keith only just then realized the fire was burning bright, clearly started by Shiro while he’d been out looking around town. Keith hummed appreciatively, snuggling into Shiro’s arms as they sat on the couch near the fireside, shifting around until his back was pressed against Shiro’s chest before snuggling back into his embrace. He tangled their hands together, looking down at where the flames caught on matching rings, glinting and sparkling in a way that made Keith smile.

He grumbled when Shiro shifted and reached toward the coffee table, but he quieted down at the soft apology and the mug of cocoa Shiro offered him. “Times like this, I start to think maybe I shouldn’t have asked Allura and Pidge for this arm. The other one did have its benefits…”

Keith hummed as he took a sip, snuggling back into Shiro once he settled back again, a mug held carefully in his right hand, too. “Much as it was nice that you didn’t have to really move to grab things for us, I kind of prefer the hugs this way.” Shiro laughed at that, kissing Keith’s temple.

“And the fact that it’s easier to steal my sweaters now doesn’t have anything to do with your opinion, of course.”

Keith hid a sly grin by taking another drink of his cocoa. “None at all.” He knew Shiro didn’t believe the glib comment, but that was alright, because he also knew Shiro didn’t particularly  _ mind _ when Keith chose to wear his shirts or even his uniform jacket. In fact, he was pretty sure Shiro was particularly  _ appreciative _ of every time Keith would wear his clothes.

They stayed like that for a while, with Keith cocooned in Shiro’s embrace and sipping at cocoa. Shiro did ask what Keith had done to keep himself occupied while waiting, and Keith mentioned his foray into the town, taking in the quiet Christmas Eve the townsfolk were celebrating. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when Shiro said it sounded nice, and Keith agreed that it was as he rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder. The change in position let him finally look around the room, and he caught sight of a pile of presents by the tree. That caused Keith to sit up quickly, twisting about to face Shiro. “ _ Someone _ went overboard.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The grin tilting at the corners of Shiro’s lips was anything but sneaky, and Keith rolled his eyes.

“I thought we agreed on only one present each this year.”

Shiro shrugged at that, humming thoughtfully. “Well, maybe it’s all just  _ parts _ of one present, then.” It wasn’t, Keith knew, and he was positive Shiro knew he wasn’t fooled by the withering glare he was giving his husband, a suspicion that was confirmed by Shiro laughing and pulling him into another hug. “Let me spoil you a bit, Keith. I’m pretty sure, as your husband, I’m allowed to do that.”

“You sound like you’re trying to make up for something, Admiral Shirogane.”

“Just for how often our schedules keep us apart. Besides, you deserve this. Every bit of it.”

Keith narrowed his eyes at Shiro, crossing his arms over his chest and pursing his lips, but his expression melted into a soft smile as Shiro kissed his cheek and brought his arms around Keith’s waist. “You’re lucky I love you so much.”

“I am. But not for this.” Keith fondly shook his head at the way Shiro’s gray eyes twinkled with mirth, but he let himself be pulled into Shiro’s warmth again, unfolding his arms and resting his hands on his husband’s chest instead. He leaned his head against Shiro’s shoulder, humming faintly when Shiro shifted them around so they were half-laying on the couch together. “Merry Christmas, Keith.”

“Merry Christmas, Shiro.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for joining me through this short journey. Please feel free to comment, or stop by my Twitter ([@RixanDeveroux](https://twitter.com/RixanDeveroux)) to get in touch with me if you’d like. I tend to post a lot of random idea threads there that often get ridiculously long, if you’re interested.


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